The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is shifting its focus towards converting research breakthroughs into commercial ventures. This new push is aimed at bridging the gap between laboratory discoveries and marketable products. Through the Second National Research Fair and Exhibition 2026, TETFund seeks to bring together researchers, innovators, investors, industry players, and potential buyers. The initiative is designed to facilitate deal-making and move promising ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace.
The National Research Fair and Exhibition 2026 is an opportunity for researchers and innovators to present their findings and inventions to potential investors, buyers, and industry partners. The fair is expected to feature exhibition stands, live demonstrations, research posters, and start-up showcases. This platform will enable innovators to engage with those who have the resources and capacity to commercialize their research outputs. By doing so, TETFund aims to address the challenges of limited funding, inadequate industrial partnerships, weak market access, and intellectual property issues.
TETFund has invited various stakeholders, including universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, technical colleges, research institutes, innovation hubs, start-ups, manufacturers, corporate bodies, investors, government agencies, and development partners to participate in the fair. The agency is keen on creating a deal-making platform that fosters collaboration and investment in research and development. This move is expected to stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and promote innovation in Nigeria.
The fair is a response to the growing concerns about the difficulty of translating research findings and inventions into commercial products and services in Nigeria. Despite the country's rich research output, many innovations struggle to progress beyond the research and prototype stages. TETFund's initiative seeks to change this narrative by providing a platform for researchers to showcase their work and attract investment.
According to TETFund Executive Secretary, Arch Sonny Echono, the fair is designed to bring researchers, innovators, industry, investors, government, and development partners together on a single national platform. The goal is to convert research outputs into products, licenses, companies, and jobs. The emphasis will shift from simply counting the number of research projects exhibited to examining the commercial opportunities that emerge from them.
The fair will feature various activities, including investor pitch sessions, business, investor and buyer matchmaking, and one-on-one deal rooms. These activities are aimed at facilitating transactions, investment discussions, technology licenses, partnerships, and funding for ventures. The initiative also provides opportunities for sponsorship, brand activation, government partnerships, media participation, innovation challenges, and commercialization clinics.
The range of stakeholders being targeted reflects the different stages involved in taking research from the laboratory to the market. By bringing together researchers, innovators, investors, industry players, and government agencies, TETFund is confident that the fair will yield significant outcomes, including transactions initiated, investment discussions, technology licenses negotiated, partnerships established, and ventures funded.
Key points
- TETFund launches National Research Fair and Exhibition 2026 to drive commercialization of research breakthroughs.
- The fair aims to connect researchers with investors, industry players, and potential buyers.
- The initiative seeks to address challenges facing researchers in translating findings into commercial products and services.
